


Given the Chance

by lionturtles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, a nicer ending for Prisoner of Azkaban, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 20:15:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2123268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionturtles/pseuds/lionturtles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter Pettigrew's arrest and the Ministry's subsequent admission of fault causes an uproar within the wizarding world and an opportunity for a family that never had their chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Daily Prophet was having a field day. The sun had barely risen before journalists had arrived at the gates of Hogwarts clamoring for interviews. The early morning edition of the Prophet was comprised of bold, flashing print that accused Dumbledore of harboring known fugitives and dangerous criminals inside the school. Enraged and terrified parents flooded the school with letters requesting that their children be sent home immediately. By 10 o’clock a reprint had been issued, retracting the earlier headline in favor of even more scandalous accusations. The river of public fury redirected itself towards the Ministry. Outcry ranged from the Auror’s inability to track wanted criminals to Fudge’s administration having lied for years about the innocence of Sirius Black.

Fudge responded with a live statement about how all the evidence was against Black, how the Ministry could never have known that he and the newly accused Peter Pettrigrew were unregistered animagi, and asked that concerned witches and wizards please submit their questions and concerns to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as his office was now entirely covered in owls and it was very difficult to move about. At this point a rotten eggplant was hurled by an unseen member of the crowd, striking Fudge full in the face and prematurely ending the address.

Harry had not fallen asleep until past six in the morning, when Madame Pomfrey all but ordered him to report back to the hospital wing. It was only Lupin’s calm reassurances that everything would be alright, and that Dumbledore was having the dementors removed from Hogwarts at that very moment, that Harry gave in and allowed himself to go to bed.

By the time he awoke the entire school was in an uproar. Students who would normally have been spending their last week lazing on the grounds and enjoying one last trip to Hogsmeade were abuzz with rumors. Ron was already awake and ready with his own questions by the time Harry rose to a breakfast tray and pot of tea. He had only managed to explain half of the events that transpired after Hermione had revealed her time turner when the hospital wing doors were nearly torn from their hinges by a positively glowing Sirius Black and somewhat sheepish Remus Lupin. Sirius hugged Harry so hard that he thought his ribs might crack before releasing him and joyously holding up a crumpled edition of the Daily Prophet whose headline flashed “Black Found Innocent: Ministry Scrambles for Answers”. Hermione arrived from her own hospital bed as Lupin distributed handfuls of chocolate among the lot of them, while Sirius had made himself comfortable in the visitor’s chair beside Harry’s bed, alternately reading aloud from the newspaper article and apologizing to Ron for having broken his leg.

It was unclear whether Madame Pomfrey was more upset about having a former fugitive lounging about in her infirmary or merely disgruntled that her strict regulations on visiting hours were being ignored. By noon Ginny, Fred, and George, who had come to see how their brother was faring, joined them. It was evident that Percy had stayed behind and was writing a highly detailed letter to Mrs Weasley about his opinion of the events that had taken place last night in the Shrieking Shack.

By noon they could hear Prophet reporters outside, arguing loudly with an irate Professor McGonagal about securing interviews. Sirius ignored them entirely, as he was now pouring over the Classifieds section of the paper and asking Harry his opinion on various country houses. Lupin tried to interject, saying that Sirius was being hasty and that Harry would need time to think—to which Harry assured him that he would gladly flee the Dursleys as soon as possible—and adding that Sirius already had a very grand house that was legally his. Sirius was just yelling about how he would rather the three of them squeeze in Lupin’s one-bedroom flat than set foot in Grimmauld Place, when Hermione politely raised the query of why Professor Lupin was being included in the official moving plans at all. Harry, who had noticed Lupin holding hands with his godfather for the past half hour, grinned as Lupin turned three different shades of scarlet in quick succession, while Sirius beamed and pointed out a very nice three-story on the coast of Wales.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I haven't touched this story in over a year, but honestly Harry, Sirius, and Remus deserve their happier ending don't they! I'll do my best to continue this one, so please feel free to voice your opinion on what ought to happen next, or to point out any errors or inconsistencies :)
> 
> xo lionturtles

It was during a Daily Prophet interview that morning that Professor Snape had casually mentioned Lupin's condition. Both Lupin and Dumbledore had had to talk Sirius out of taking swift and violent retribution, reasoning that the damage was done and it would do no good for recently cleared reputation to be seen attacking a Hogwarts teacher. Sirius grumbled to Harry that he wished Snape had hit his head just a little harder last night in the Shrieking Shack. The accusatory article had been printed in the evening edition by which time Lupin had gracefully tendered his resignation before the fresh wave of owls from angry parents came pouring in.

Harry and Hermione had been discharged from the hospital wing that afternoon, Ron was required to stay overnight to make sure his leg was fully healed. They stopped by Lupin's office to find him packing. Sirius sat in Lupin's desk chair, a plate of sandwiches in front of him nearly depleted.

"You don't know how long I've been dreaming of the food here." He'd rasped through a mouthful of roast beef and cheddar. He looked as gaunt and disheveled as he had the previous night, but there was a light in his eyes that distracted from the hollowness of his face.

Lupin watched him sidelong; there was a look in his eyes Harry had noticed over the past twenty-four hours, disbelief and pain underscoring an affection that seemed to be drowning him from within.

A collection of Prophets lay on the desk, the front page had a spread of photographs; Sirius' mugshot side by side to a photo of him grinning and waving to reporters, taken that very morning. Below were older pictures from the time of his arrest, and a group shot of Sirius, Lupin, Pettigrew, and--Harry realized with a jolt--his father, all celebrating their graduation from Hogwarts. Below he read, "Black and Pettigrew: Conspiring against former friends even now? Who betrayed whom? Twelve years later, is Harry Potter still in danger? Rita Skeeter investigates, continued on page 6"

"This is absurd!" Hermione gasped, tearing open the paper to read further. Harry noticed a half completed crossword puzzle on page 5. "It's baseless, accusatory drivel!"

"Astute as always, Hermione." Lupin said with a smile. "Unfortunately I expect we'll be seeing a lot of drivel over the next few days."

Lupin underestimated the ravenous hunger of the public for news of the debacle, for the drivel lasted well into the next week. By the time he and Sirius escorted Harry to the front doorstep of No. 4 Privet Drive news of Sirius' wrongful imprisonment had even leaked into the Muggle media. This did not stop the Aunt Petunia from screaming at the sight of an infamous mass murderer arriving on her doorstep, nor did it prevent Uncle Vernon from trying to simultaneously telephone the police with one hand and load his old hunting rifle with the other.

Lupin did his best to explain the nature of Sirius' custody claim over their nephew while Harry raced to his room to retrieve his belongings. By the time he lugged his meager possessions back down the stairs he found a bewildered Sirius was questioning Aunt Petunia as to why there were no pictures of Harry on the mantel--a situation he realized would be best to defuse as quickly as possible.

"Photo albums, at least? A box of keepsakes? Are you telling me there's nothing?"

Petunia looked both indignant and terrified to be loudly interrogated by a former convict in her own home.

It took Harry and Lupin's combined efforts to drag Sirius, thoroughly irate, from the house.

"Nothing!" He was still exclaiming over dinner at Lupin's that night. "No school pictures, no junior league Quidditch trophies--"

"I didn't play Quidditch growing up." Harry reminded his godfather.

Sirius threw up his hands as if this was the final straw. "And look at you now! Youngest Seeker in a century! I always knew it, from the time you were a baby I knew you were talented. We all did!"

Sirius beamed at Harry over the potatoes.

"It's an injustice, I'll tell you right. Your aunt and uncle don't know the first damn thing about raising a brilliant kid like you--"

Lupin sighed, "Sirius, please, they are Harry's relatives."

"It's fine. I don't mind at all, Professor." Harry said quickly, unable to keep from smiling.

Lupin ran a hand thoughtfully through his graying hair. "Really there's little point in you calling me that, now that I'm no longer your teacher. 'Remus' is just fine with me."

Harry nodded his assent as Sirius relaunched into his tirade of criticizing the Dursleys' upbringing of Harry, going into depth about the games he had seen Harry play this past year, how he flew like his father, how his mother would have been so, so proud of him.

Harry slept on Remus' futon that night. In the morning he was roused by the sounds and smell of his godfather singing and burning bacon in the kitchen. He rose quickly to save what remained of their breakfast, while Sirius apologetically explained that it had been more than twelve years since anyone had let him near a frying pan. They all ate blackened bacon and scrambled eggs on toast at the kitchen table that morning.

Remus' flat was a shabby one bedroom attached to a living room and tiny kitchen. It was a tidy little space with peeling wallpaper and creaky wooden floors. The ill-fitting windows did little to keep the early summer heat out, and so were always kept open. The sink dripped constantly and the water was both odd looking and odd tasting.

Harry was delighted, and told Remus that he had never felt more at home outside of Hogwarts and the Burrow.


End file.
